Juglans cinerea, elongated furrows similar to common ash species Fraxinus spp. White bark, 11 leaflets, unlike ash in respect to alternate apical whorls of leaves, unlike pecan, Carya illinoinensis with 15 leaflets and plate like exfoliating bark. Unlike black walnut, J. nigra, brownish purple bark thats squared off over time with leaflets at 16 with abortion of apical leaflet 17.
Ive never seen white with minimal cankers, smooth upper that has its first branch at the 65 ft mark. Tallest ive seen, healthiest too at 80 ft. Butternut or white walnut suffers from two pathogens as of late
The worse being an airborn lenticil junction pathogen called Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum. The other is a less known beetle vectored genera specific thousand canker complex fungus. A triple threat of bacterial wet wood occurring later preventing bullet callus formation or any callus. In the first pathogen the fungus causes massive cankers that eventually lead to failure or girdling. It caused primary death of 90% of white walnuts. Refugiums in fens are your best bet for disrupting/ beating the pathogen triangle. In this case we see a rare example of rocky calcaric talus hillsides, dolomitic rock hills of eoa nc at wilderness preserve in Adams co. Ohio; The original non-refugial habitat. Some are preserved via propizol and sterol inhibitor injections in arboretums. The other pathogen complex starts with a twig killing beetle at the crown in smooth wood. The beetle is vectoring a fungus Geosmitha morbida which causes many small cankers. walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis is targeting young branches and lays larva that chews threw sap wood from slip into the growing season spreading the fungus in mass. The crown dies first then the tree after the vascular system aids the fungus. Bacterial aggregates occur in the wounds preventing any callus. This triple threat is why its not a single pathogen but a complex called TCD. Seeing this walnut was like seeing a surviving chestnut.
SMILE FROM EAR TO EAR.
